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President Donald Trump has named longtime adviser Stephen Miller as his White House chief of staff, handing one of Washington’s most powerful jobs to the driving force behind some of his toughest domestic policies, days after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress.

Miller replaces Susie Wiles and takes over as Trump prepares to face a Democratic-controlled House and Senate, along with a wave of expected congressional investigations into his administration. The change takes effect on Monday, November 9.

In a social media post, Trump described Miller as one of his most trusted advisers and praised Wiles for her work. Speaking to reporters later on Friday, he added that Miller had been with him from the start and understood his agenda.

A Signal of No Retreat

Miller, a long-standing advocate of broad presidential power, steps in at a time when the midterm defeat may push Trump to rely more heavily on executive authority to pursue his domestic goals.

A White House official said the appointment shows Trump has no plans to rethink his policies and is instead rewarding his most loyal aides, despite tens of millions of voters rejecting his domestic and foreign policy agenda. The Washington Post described the move as a gamble on reinforcing Trump’s agenda and possibly moving further right, at odds with voters’ decision this week to make the largest shift to the left in half a century.

Although Trump said this week he was open to working with Democrats in Congress, several White House officials said promoting Miller, known for his combative and uncompromising style, points to a more confrontational approach and a renewed push on immigration and other issues.

Trump had been frustrated with his political and communications teams ahead of the election as his approval ratings dropped close to record lows, and he reportedly said this week that the White House needed to be more aggressive now that Democrats are retaking Congress.

After the announcement, Miller wrote on X that the mission was now clearer than ever, pledging to fight wholeheartedly for the president and the country.

Democrats Vow Scrutiny

Democrats reacted sharply. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, expected to become the next speaker, called Miller a dangerous xenophobe and a reckless extremist.

Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and in line to chair it, said Democrats planned to investigate Miller’s immigration policies, warning that Miller “should lawyer up.”

Criticism also came from within Republican ranks, with Senator Thom Tillis calling Miller the worst possible choice for the job.

The Architect of the Immigration Crackdown

Miller, 41, is one of Trump’s longest-serving aides. He joined Trump’s 2016 campaign as a speechwriter and is among the few advisers to serve throughout both of his terms. Since 2025, he has officially been deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, while wielding outsized influence over much of the domestic agenda.

He is best known for steering Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, including a target of 3,000 arrests a day. The effort sent masked immigration officers into communities nationwide, increasingly detaining people with no criminal records who had lived in the US for decades. The policy is unpopular: a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted early this week found that 36% of Americans approve of it, while 54% disapprove. Data also suggest voters backed Democrats this week partly in response to the aggressive enforcement.

Miller was also central to Trump’s overhaul of the federal workforce, which led to tens of thousands of civil servants being dismissed in 2025, and to the administration’s clashes with universities, diversity programs and other institutions.

A Hawkish Foreign Policy Voice

On foreign policy, Miller has strongly backed Trump’s deadly strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, a campaign that has raised legal concerns. He was also reportedly a force behind the raid on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s efforts to exert control over Greenland.

He has praised US and Israeli strikes on Iran and defended a naval blockade and sanctions to weaken Tehran. It remains unclear whether he still holds that view after voters punished Republicans this week partly over the economic fallout from the Iran war. Analysts note that while the new Congress may constrain the White House, the president retains broad foreign policy powers, which Miller’s promotion is likely to amplify.

Marc Short, chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, said Trump was getting someone fully committed to him and ready to fight Congress on immigration and investigations, adding that the move does not suggest high hopes for bipartisan legislation.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faces Democratic calls for impeachment over the Iran war, welcomed the promotion, reflecting enthusiasm among some Trump allies.

Wiles Moves On

Wiles, 69, submitted her resignation on Thursday night and will move to Trump’s political operation. A veteran Florida political strategist who ran Trump’s 2024 campaign, she was the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff.

She was credited with running a more disciplined operation than some of Trump’s previous top aides and stayed in the role while undergoing treatment earlier this year for early-stage breast cancer. Although she rarely challenged Trump’s policies, she was widely seen as a steadying voice, and her departure raises questions about who will play that role now.

The chief of staff is typically the president’s gatekeeper, managing White House staff, controlling the president’s schedule and overseeing relations with government agencies and lawmakers. During his first term, Trump went through four chiefs of staff, an unusually high number.